1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an analyzer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, environmental protection activities are becoming much more pronounced. This increases the number of opportunities to perform various analyses on samples existing outdoors, such as the atmosphere, water in rivers and the like, and soil. Especially when changes in sample with time are to be analyzed outdoors, when a sample is to be analyzed immediately after being sampled, or when subsequent sampling is to be performed in accordance with the obtained measurement, a safe, portable analytical system which is compact and lightweight and can be carried to a sampling point is necessary.
As an analyzer for analyzing these samples existing outdoors, e.g., for the analysis of gases, a gas chromatograph analytical system is used. In the conventional gas chromatograph analytical system, heating is performed to separate the component of a sample gas. For example, Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 8-211038 describes that a portable analyzer is implemented by obtaining heat necessary for this heating by using the exothermic reaction of a combustion gas.
In the gas chromatograph analytical system, a flame ionization detector (FID) can be used as an analyzer for analyzing a sample gas. Hydrogen gas is necessary to analyze a sample gas by using this FID. Since, however, hydrogen gas is explosive, the transportation, storage, or use of hydrogen gas requires a rigid and safe vessel and vehicle, and further requires a vessel, worker, and storage facility which comply with the law. Therefore, the conventional analyzer cannot simply transport nor handle hydrogen gas.
There are some gas chromatograph analyzers in which hydrogen is generated in its actual use, and then the generated hydrogen is used in analysis. More specifically, hydrogen is generated by a hydrogen generator which generates hydrogen by electrolyzing water.
Unfortunately, the hydrogen generator is mainly used in a stationary analyzer because the generation of hydrogen requires high power. To transport the hydrogen generator and use it in analysis, a power supply for obtaining high power must be transported at the same time. This makes the hydrogen generator difficult to transport.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an analyzer which is compact, lightweight, and easy to handle.